Job ID: 6099
Agency: South Dakota Department of Agriculture; Division of Resource Conservation and Forestry
Salary: $15.25 - $18.17 per hour, depending on experience
Pay Grade: GH
Closing Date: Open Until Filled
This position will be part of the rural forestry team within the division. Duties include providing forest management
assistance, coordinating, and administering forestry activities and programs with individual landowners, city or county
governments or agencies, and conservation districts; providing technical assistance; writing forest stewardship plans;
providing educational information to ensure effective conservation practices related to trees, forests, and the protection of
the state's resources, tree insect and disease identification and management. Normal work hours will be 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. This position will entail outdoor work and the ability to walk for extended distances on rough terrain. Day travel is frequent and overnight trips will average about 2-3 nights per month. Some air travel may be required to attend meeting or training out-of-state. The successful candidate will be required to obtain a pesticide applicators license from the State of South Dakota soon after employment, and must have a valid driver license. If you possess a National Career Readiness Certificate, please submit the certificate with your application. For more information on how to acquire a National Career Readiness Certificate contact a South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation Local Office.
The Ideal Candidate Will Have:
A bachelor's of science degree in forestry, forest resource management, or a closely related field; or experience may be
substituted for education if that experience has prepared the candidate to successfully carry out the duties of this position
is preferred.
Knowledge of:
• dendrology and arboriculture;
• biology;
• biometrics and botany;
• forest ecology and mensuration;
• forest entomology and forest pathology;
• geographic information systems (ArcGIS);
• horticulture, hydrology, plant physiology, and silviculture;
• range and timber management;
• state and federal laws regulating the use of pesticides;
• forest fire management, forest insects and diseases, tree biology, forest economics, forest planning;
• project design and management, urban forestry, agroforestry, and forest certification programs.
Skill to:use a variety of forestry tools and equipment such as clinometers, diameter tapes, prisms, increment borers, cruiser axes, data recorders, hypsometers, and global positioning systems.
• Ability to:
• drive a 4-wheel drive truck and an ATV in a variety of weather conditions;
• conduct literature and technical reference searches;
• conduct soil survey research;
• use and interpret topographic maps;
• use Microsoft Office products: Word, Outlook, Access, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint;
• use digital graphic software, mapping programs, and GPS information uploading, downloading, and interpretation;
• write professional and technical reports that can be understood by both professional and lay persons;
• deal tactfully with others;
• communicate effectively;
• work independently with minimal supervision, or with a group in a team setting;
• use forestry tools: clinometer, hypsometer, biltmore stick, measuring wheel, compass, GPS, data recorders;
• keep records;
• diagnose tree health problems and determine the appropriate action to address tree planting and tree care needs;
• speak at public meetings;
• explain complex forestry concepts and practices in easy to understand terms;
• be a self-starter and can work in a field office under light supervision;
• analyze extensive resource data and draw logical conclusion from that data.
Additional Requirements: To be considered, attach your responses to the questions below. Your responses
must be clear, concise, and numbered.
Employees in this position meet with private individuals, local city governments, federal agencies, the media and
others to share or disseminate forestry related information. Describe your experience communicating, establishing
working relationships and/or coordinating with various agencies, groups or individuals.
1.Employees in this position meet with private individuals, local city governments, federal agencies, the media and
others to share or disseminate forestry related information. Describe your experience communicating, establishing
working relationships and/or coordinating with various agencies, groups or individuals.
2.Describe your experience in training or educating persons in technical issues. Describe your audience and level of responsibility.
3.Describe your experience in preparing written reports, memos, or correspondence that includes gathering of information, analysis of alternatives, and recommending a course of action. Include your level of responsibility for the final product.
4. Describe your experience in writing grant proposals, administration of grants, and implementation of grants and grant
reporting requirements.
5.Describe your experience in diagnosing tree problems in urban, windbreaks/shelterbelts, and natural forest
environments.
6.Describe your experience in working or coordinating with other agencies to assure compliance or consistency with their
regulations. Please describe a) The specific agencies you have worked or coordinated with, b) the nature of the rules
or regulations involved, and c) your role or level of responsibility for the coordination.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE ELIGIBLE
Apply at: http://bhr.sd.gov/workforus
South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources
500 East Capitol
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
Telephone: 605.773.3148 Fax: 605.773.4344
"An Equal Opportunity Employer"
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